World Toilet Expo kicks off in Bangkok

BANGKOK, Nov 16 (TNA) - Thailand, hosting the World Toilet Expo and Forum 2006, plans to adopt proactive strategies to raise 60 per cent of all public toilets throughout the country to meet international hygienic standards by 2007.

Thai Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla presided over the ceremony opening the World Toilet Expo and Forum 2006 on Thursday. The event, scheduled from Nov 16-18 at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Centre in Bangkok, is aimed to promote the development of public toilets based on three guiding principles - health, accessibility and safety.

The World Toilet Expo and Forum 2006 will help agencies related to toilet development learn about the latest trends and innovations in the hygiene and toilet-related industries.

About 1,000 participants including academics, representatives of businesses, government agencies and non-governmental organisations from Thailand and other countries are attending the event, held in conjunction with World Toilet Day November 19, designated by the World Health Organisation to promote sanitary toilets worldwide.

Dr. Mongkol said that Thailand has continuously improved public and private toilet facilities and 99 percent of individual households in the country now have sanitary toilets.

According to random surveys on 6,149 toilets public toilets in 12 provinces in March 2006, 5,993 public toilets or 97 percent of public toilets surveyed didn't meet the standard, he said.

As a result of the cooperation among the public health ministry and both government and private agencies, the public toilet facilities and public toilets nationwide meeting the hygienic standards have increased from
three per cent in March 2006 to 20 per cent in November 2006.

The minister said Thailand has set a target to increase the figure to 60 per cent in 2007 through public relations campaigns.

The World Toilet Organisation (WTO) initiated a World Toilet College (WTC) as an independent world body to ensure standards in sanitary design, cleanliness, maintenance, quality of work and sanitation technologies are kept.

The WTC is a dedicated institution offering training programmes such as restroom design, specialist training and ecological sanitation.

TNA

Thailand's "Happy Toilet" soon in the pipeline

BANGKOK, Nov 18 (TNA) - Not content to sit back and enjoy its flush of success as host of the 2nd World Toilet Expo & Forum 2006 which ended here Saturday, making great strides in promoting higher hygienic standards for clean and safe public loos, Thailand's Ministry of Public Health plans to introduce a "happy toilet" which is not only user-friendly and cares for the environment but also a place of pleasure to relieve one's bowels.

Already known as the Land of Smiles, Thailand's Ministry of Public Health wants to put commodius smiles on the faces of those who are ridding themselves of faeces.

Dr. Narongsakdi Aungkhasuvapala, director-general of Thailand's Department of Health, floated the idea as the 2nd World Toilet Expo & Forum 2006 concluded here on Saturday.

The three-day event was held to promote the development of public toilets based on three guiding principles -- health, accessibility and safety. He said the forum's discussions highlighted the importance of proper structural designs of toilet, cleansing management and user habits as major factors that will help reduce the risk of spreading diseases and accidents as well as increasing patron comfort of the use they variably equipped 'comfort rooms', 'water closets', 'restrooms', 'johns,' 'heads' and 'hong
nams' throughout 'The Land of Smiles'.

To achieve more public satisfaction in using public loos, Dr. Narongsakdi said, Thailand will introduce a new set of standards that goes further beyond the current HAS formal—healthy, accessability and safety.

He elaborated that the so-called "Happy Toilet" will respond to a user's need based on the idea of power saving and the combination of nature and environment conservation such as good ventilation, natural light, low-water consumption sanitary ware and pollution-free drainage systems.

The health department director-general also promised that Thailand will launch a campaign to raise public awareness to provide public toilet and other facilities for the elderly and the handicapped people in every public place.

He said the Ministry of Public Health and its offices will be the first to provide services in order to set a good example for others to follow.

The next World Toilet Expo & Forum is scheduled to be held between September 12-14, 2007 in Shanghai, China.

TNA

So if this all works out well they`ll be `flushed` with success eh?

A long way from the days of Mr Crapper:-

Quote:Thomas Crapper
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Thomas Crapper.
Thomas Crapper.

Thomas Crapper (baptized September 28, 1836; d. January 27, 1910) was a plumber who founded Thomas Crapper & Co. Ltd. in London.

Despite urban legend, Crapper did not invent the flush toilet (the myth being helped by the surname). However, Crapper put in much effort to popularise it and did come up with some related inventions. He was noted for the quality of his products and received several Royal Warrants. The noun "crap" was in use long before he was born.

The manhole covers with Crapper's company's name on them in Westminster Abbey are now a minor tourist attraction.